One of the benefits of building a new home is that you can add the extra bells and whistles that make it perfect for your family. Of course, all of those little extras come at a price and can soon put you over budget. The following are a few of the most common questions that we get here at Alair Homes Burlington about ways to save money when building a new home.
Q: Can I save money by managing my project myself instead of hiring a contractor?
While this may be possible, it is certainly not advisable.
- A general contractor can negotiate a better rate with subcontractors because they deal in volume.
- You could easily spend several hours a day attempting to manage your project, which means time away from work and lost wages.
- Being a decent DIYer does not necessarily translate into the ability to manage a build from the ground up.
- An experienced general contractor has established processes in place to ensure that your build goes smoothly and is completed on time.
Q: Does it save money to use stock plans instead of custom designing a home?
It is true that it can cost a few thousand dollars to have a custom plan created for your home; however, the end cost is normally about the same as choosing a stock plan. For example, stock plans are, by definition, generic and may contain space that will not be utilized by your family. As little as 100 square feet of wasted space can translate into thousands of dollars. You will also probably spend money tweaking certain elements of the basic design that could easily offset any potential savings. A custom plan will take your family’s needs and lifestyle into consideration so that you end up with a home that will work for your family for years to come.
Q: Are custom homes more expensive than pre-built homes?
Not necessarily. Custom means that the home is built to your specifications. That can be as elaborate, simple, big, or small as you choose. When you compare the cost of a custom versus a pre-built home, make sure that you are making an apples-to-apples comparison.
Q: Is the process of building a custom home more complicated than a semi-custom home?
Not really. During the design process, we ask a series of questions to ensure that we have a good idea of how you live in your home and what types of features are important to you and your family so that we can come up with the best possible design. If you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of making decisions on fixtures or finishes, we are happy to limit the options to those that are most popular with our clients.
Q: Will I save money if I do some of the work myself?
The amount and type of work that most homeowners are able to perform generally do not translate to significant cost savings, especially when you consider that the work that you do would not be warranted in the event of a mistake. On the other hand, if you would like to help with certain projects in order to feel that you had a hand in building your new home, we will try to make that a reality.